NEWBERRY – As they had on 19 previous occasions this season, the Wolves simply found a way to win at the Smith Road Complex on Tuesday night.
Down by as many as four runs in the early stages, the 16th-ranked Wolves rallied for a 10-9 win over visiting Augusta and overtook Arizona State for the best home record in all three NCAA divisions at 20-0.
The opportunistic Wolves (28-7) took advantage of seven Augusta (14-16) errors to plate six unearned runs on the evening, at one point leading 7-5 despite having less hits (3) than Jaguars' errors (4). Newberry was outhit for just the 13th time this season, collecting eight hits to Augusta's 12.
The turning point came in the second inning. Newberry had taken a 1-0 lead on a bases-loaded walk in the first that quickly evaporated as the Jaguars scored five runs on five hits in the top of the second.
But the Wolves came roaring back, getting a walk, a sacrifice bunt, a wild pitch, and an RBI on a fielding error to plate one and put two on for
Colin Allman. The shortstop deposited a 2-2 offering into the gap in right center for a two-run triple, adding to Newberry's national lead in triples and pulling the Wolves to within a run.
After a hit by pitch, a daring double steal that saw Allman swipe home without a throw tied the score at 5-5. Another Augusta error allowed the Wolves to take the lead, which stretched to two runs in the third inning.
Augusta, however, tied the score with two runs in the fourth and retook the lead with a run on a seventh-inning balk with runners on the corners.
The fourth and final lead change came as part of a two-run bottom of the seventh for Newberry, with a
Danton Hyman double causing
Dalton Lansdowne to score from first and an RBI single from
Zane Tarrance providing an all-important insurance run.
Augusta pulled to within one run in the eighth inning, but
Ryan Harbin worked a 1-2-3 ninth inning for his first career save.
Tyler Fuhr was credited with the win in relief, improving his record to 4-1 on the season with two runs on four hits and a pair of strikeouts in two innings of work.
Quinton Driggers left as the pitcher of record before Augusta rallied to tie the score. He came in with two on and no outs in the fourth and worked three masterful innings, allowing one hit and one walk while striking out six. His minuscule 1.62 ERA is the best in the South Atlantic Conference and he ranks third in the league overall and first among relievers with 53 strikeouts on the season.
Danton Hyman, the active career hits and stolen bases leader in Division II extended his reached-base streak to 42 games with a 3-for-4 day that included a walk, three runs scored, and a stolen base.
Zane Tarrance and
Colin Allman each had two RBI's apiece for the Wolves.
First-place Newberry travels to Wingate for a critical SAC series beginning Friday at 6:00 p.m. Friday's game will be broadcast on ESPN3 and the WatchESPN app.
